14013


When native speakers of Japanese use おばあさん to refer to an older woman who is
not that that individual's own grandmother, does their _concept_ of the woman
include any expectation that she would have had children at some point during
her life?


CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-01-03T04:48:26.300
14012
2014-01-03T08:04:04.183
2014-01-03T08:04:04.183
4091
question
meaning
When おばあさん is not really your grandmother


Generally speaking, yes, there is that assumption in our minds, but this
custom rarely, if ever, causes problems when the older woman addressed as
おばあさん by a stranger actually turns out to be someone who has never had a child
in her life. That is because it is likely that she herself has been addressing
any older lady おばあさん since she was little.


CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-01-03T05:32:59.993
14013
2014-01-03T05:32:59.993
14012
answer